Over 80,000 kids in North Texas could lose health insurance by January

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AUSTIN, TX -- Texas children and families that rely on the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) risk losing coverage and could start receiving cancellation letters by late December.

According to the Dallas Morning News, Texas needs $90 million in federal funding to avoid ending the program on Jan. 31. The federal government has until Dec. 9 to approve the request for funding or risk ending the program.

Congress has yet to approve the overall funding of the CHIP program; the requested $90 million would only fund the program in Texas until February.

If the program is allowed to end, families would be allowed to look for coverage in the Affordable Care Act's health insurance marketplace. However, many families may not be eligible or would not be able to afford the premiums.